From The Straits Times    |



HOW IT WORKS
I’ve baked bread only on the few occasions when I tested bread makers. Like the ones I’ve used previously, this Philips model was easy to use – I placed the ingredients in the bread pan (fitted with a kneading blade), selected a programme, then pressed the start button. The machine mixed the ingredients, formed and rested the dough, and baked the bread.

To make a white loaf in an hour, I picked the Super Rapid option. There are 11 other programmes for different bread types – from white to rye to gluten-free – that took three to four hours each. For those, I put in the ingredients before I went to bed and let the machine do its work overnight.

The machine comes with a measuring cup (for water) and spoon (for salt, sugar and yeast), so I just needed a scale to weigh the flour and other dry ingredients.

When the bread was ready, I pulled the pan out of the machine, inverted it and gave it a couple of knocks on the table. It came out cleanly, leaving no residue on the pan.

THE BREADS AND JAM
My favourite was the Cranberry, Walnut and Rosemary Loaf, made with a recipe from a booklet that came with the machine. It was soft on the inside and crusty on the outside, with no lumpy bits of unmixed flour – unlike those I’d made using other bread makers previously.

Another bread loaf that turned out really well was a savoury Parmesan & Sun Dried Tomato Bread, from a premix (available from Cold Storage).

The four white loaves that it churned out, using recipes and programmes from the booklet, were heavy and dense – like what you’d get from artisanal bakeries. My kids objected to the crust, which they found too hard, so I cut the crust into cubes and made baked croutons. Experienced bakers can use the Home Made programme to select the duration of the knead, rise and bake cycles.

Apart from bread, this machine can also whip up fresh jam in an hour. I used 300g of chopped strawberries and 150g of sugar for a 250ml jar of fruity spread that turned out less thick and sticky compared to what you’d usually get if you cook it on a stove.

Verdict: “A foolproof mini-bakery that is ultra-easy to use.” – Tsiao Hui, consumer & lifestyle editor

Philips Viva Collection Bread Maker HD9045/30, $309, from major electrical stores